Ask John: Why Does Giant Robot Anime Remain Popular?

Question:
From the original Mobile Suit Gundam in the late 70’s to Fafner, Eureka Seven and Gundam Seed Destiny in 2006, and Heaven only knows what’s to come, exactly what is it about giant robots (and the usually angst ridden teenagers who pilot them) that anime fans haven’t been able to get enough of for almost thirty years?

Answer:
I’ve watched plenty of giant robot anime, but I don’t consider myself a devoted mecha anime fan. So I can offer some personal speculation on the reasons for the genre’s perseverance, but a die-hard mecha otaku may be able to provide a different and more insightful perspective. I think there are two primary reasons why robot anime has such longevity. One reason is straightforward, the other more complex. If the basic format and characteristics of giant robot anime are appealing, then those characteristics get retold in slightly new consecutive versions because there are always new generations of viewers discovering giant robot anime. Eureka 7 may be just another in a long progression of mecha anime for many viewers, but for many other Japanese children, it may be the first robot anime they’ve ever seriously watched. Recycling the same themes for new generations may explain why studios continue to produce new mecha anime, but it doesn’t explain why certain fans faithfully watch multiple robot anime. The reasons why experienced viewers continue to watch robot anime must have to do with their interest in the genre and the qualities that the genre offers to viewers.

For the sake of simplicity, I’ll divide robot anime into two styles. There are heroic robot anime like Gaogaiger, Mazinger, Getter Robo, and Godanner, and there are dramatic, realistic, or angst-ridden robot anime like Macross, Gundam, Evangelion, and Patlabor. (For the purpose of discussing robot anime, this categorization would be grossly inadequate. But I think it’s useful for discussing fan reactions to robot anime.) In the case of both types of shows, robots represent empowerment and futurism. Giant robots are literally larger than life. They’re a means of literally strapping on muscle and becoming physically powerful. Robots also represent the potential of the future. Unlike spaceships, which passengers passively reside within, giant robots are literally the potential power of the future which young people can control freely. In a sense, giant robots represent the hope and potential of the unknown future, and fulfill the fantasy of being able to handle and control a future in which one is empowered. It’s in this anticipation for the future that the distinction between types of robot anime becomes relevant.

Heroic robot anime represents the hope of a future in which the viewer is strong, righteous, and independent. The heroic robot vanquishes evil, and more importantly succeeds through the use of superior technology, skill, courage, and sheer determination. This sort of anime allows viewers to envision a hopeful, encouraging, and fulfilling future. On the other hand, morose, angst-ridden mecha anime satiates viewers’ anxiety. The idea of piloting giant robots in the future provides a sense of control and strength in an uncertain future. Viewers that watch physically and emotionally tortured children piloting mecha relieve their own anxieties by empathizing with the characters on screen. Watching characters die in Fafner, and watching Shinji and Asuka suffer in Evangelion is affecting and ultimately satisfying because we can immediately, visibly comprehend their troubles. I think that even if, one day, giant robots do actually exist in everyday life, mecha anime will still have the same impact and power over viewers because its strength lies in its ability to evoke imagination and emotion.

Mecha fans may love the technical design characteristics of giant robots, and may study the differences between an RX-78 Gundam and an RX-93 Nu Gundam, but if the visual design of giant robots and their technical specs were the only appealing thing about giant robot anime, the genre wouldn’t be as popular or long lived as it is. Likewise, with story concepts like “boy and his robot protect the world from evil” and “boy pilots a giant robot built by his father” being so commonly recycled, it can’t be the stories alone in mecha anime that make it so fascinating. The only explanation is that mecha anime exposes and stimulates our hopes and fears for the future on an individual, personal level. And that topic is always fascinating and relevant to viewers.